How emissions trading at Paris climate talks has set us up for failure

Dec 14, 2015 18:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Business Nature

The Paris Agreement has mostly been greeted with enthusiasm, though it contains at least one obvious flaw. Few seem to have noticed that the main tool mooted for keeping us within the 2℃ global warming target is a...

Why soft climate deals are better than tough ones

Dec 14, 2015 17:18 pm UTC| Insights & Views

The Paris climate talks have been heralded as a historic deal. But while they have been praised for the very feat of reaching an agreement and for setting an ambitious aim to keep warming below 2℃ and endeavouring to limit...

What low interest rates have done for the world – and the likely effects of a rise

Dec 14, 2015 16:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

With the US Federal Reserve seemingly set on raising interest rates, its time to take stock of what low rates have done for the world. And what the prospects are when this era of low interest rates comes to an...

Why the actions of South Africa's president have rendered him a lame duck

Dec 14, 2015 16:23 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Mayhem is the only word that can describe President Jacob Zumas shock reversal of the appointment of almost-minister of finance Desmond van Rooyen. Markets welcomed the move to a well-known and trusted Pravin Gordhan, the...

Dollar’s longs reflecting desperate gains upon Yellen’s move

Dec 14, 2015 12:42 pm UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

The large majority of price sensitive market participants still seem to be betting on USD longs. However, these only have a reasonable risk reward profile medium term. I doubt that nobody will square their USD-long...

Currency War Series

PBoC strikes a chord again – Is Fed likely to discount FX war?

Dec 14, 2015 10:56 am UTC| Insights & Views Central Banks

The focus for this week would be apart from the Fed meeting the main movers this week will be: US CPI (Tuesday) German ZEW (Tuesday) Euro Flash PMI (Wednesday) German Ifo (Thursday). Focus would remain to...

Zuma's about-turn shows power of the South African media, and the markets

Dec 14, 2015 10:45 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

South Africa has had three finance ministers in the space of four days. First President Jacob Zuma replaced his trusted and competent finance minister Nhlanhla Nene with David van Rooyen, a malleable backbencher with a...